Story arcs
Story arcs are any comic strip theme that lasts longer than a week. They can range from a few days to a month, depending on the length of it. Generally, the strip had week long story arcs for the first couple of years and had the longest arcs in the middle of the strip's life. Later on, the arcs became shorter as Watterson focused more on Sunday Strips. Throughout Calvin & Hobbes's run, there were several story arcs involving things such as the Transmogrifier, school, dinosaurs, Spaceman Spiff and others. 1985 November * November 18-19: Calvin traps Hobbes in the backyard using a rope and sandwich. When Calvin asks his father what to do with it, his dad suggests "stuffing" it. Calvin interprets this to mean overfeeding Hobbes. December * December 3-6: Susie is introduced to the strip as a new girl in Calvin's class. 1986 January * January 13-18: Calvin and Susie are sent to Principal Spittle's office for passing notes. Susie is concerned that they will be paddled. However, Principal Spittle tells the both of them to pay better attention and to return to class. However, Calvin remains behind and pretends he is Spaceman Spiff setting his blaster. * January 27-28: Calvin floods the house. As a result, his dad's polls decline because he did not get dessert as punishment. * January 30-February 1: Moe is introduced as the class bully. February * February 12-14: Calvin makes a valentine for Susie. However, he sends a hate-mail valentine and flowers from the florist's dumpster. Despite the anger from Susie afterwards, she then realizes that, since he sent her the valentine and flowers, he must like her. Calvin also thinks that, since she noticed the gifts, she must like him. March * March 4-6: Calvin's mom and dad leave Calvin at the house because they cannot locate a babysitter. However, the two rent a scary movie and a VCR while Calvin's parents are out and as a result rig up traps in Calvin's room, including a bucket of water over the doorway that Calvin's mom walks into. * March 13-14: Calvin visits the barber shop for a haircut. He unsuccessfully tries to get the barber, Pete, to cut his hair in an outrageous style. At the end, he states that it is "the finest haircut I have ever received", while thinking to himself "never criticize a guy with a razor." * March 31-April 1: Calvin sees the doctor, terrified. He faints when the doctor makes a joke after repeatedly asking if various medical instruments will hurt, and screams that he is "dying" after receiving a vaccination. April * April 18-19: Calvin goes fishing, first by holding a bucket and saying "Here Fish!". In the second strip, while holding a line and sitting on a rock, a fish ascends the water and bites Calvin. When Hobbes comes in the last panel with his own line, he asks if the fish are biting, to which Calvin replies "Drop dead, Hobbes." May * May 12-13: Calvin the Human Insect catapults peas on the dinner table and walks across each page of a book in ten minutes. * May 15-17: Rosalyn makes her first appearance as Calvin's babysitter. She locks him in the garage until 8:00. * May 19-22: Calvin is camping with the boy scouts. * May 26-31: Hobbes goes missing after a big dog knocks down Calvin and runs off with Hobbes. Heartbroken as this event transpires, Calvin tries writing posters to help people find Hobbes, but to no avail. Susie later finds Hobbes and has a tea party with him and Mr. Bun. Calvin comes across Susie, thanks her, and takes off with all the cookies at the party. June * June 3-4: Calvin asks Hobbes for advice on how to deal with the class bully, Moe. * July 7-14: The family goes on vacation. * July 21-26: Calvin gets swimming lessons, taught by Rosalyn. August * August 11-14: Calvin and Hobbes try to get their faces frozen. September * September 22-25: Calvin is bullied by Moe. November * November 3-8: Calvin's mom ill. * November 10-21: Calvin gets a part in the school play. December * December 1-6: Rosalyn baby-sits. * December 15-19: Calvin and Hobbes play with a Oujia board. 1987 January * January 12-17: Calvin calls Susie a Booger-Brain and hurts her feelings. * January 19-30: Calvin and Hobbes go to Susie's Birthday Party. February * February 2-4: Calvin gets his report card. * February 23-28: Picture Day. March * March 2-6: Calvin pretends to have amnesia. * March 9-21: Calvin and Hobbes find a hurt raccoon and Calvin's dad takes care of it but it eventually dies. Afterwards, Calvin and Hobbes realize that death is as natural as birth, and that there are many things about life they don't understand. Then Calvin and Hobbes watch bulldozers tear down a forest. * March 23-April 3: Calvin invents the transmogrifier and changes himself to a tiger. April * April 6-11: Calvin rips his pants and then demonstrates a problem at the board. * April 13-15: Calvin gets a Substitute teacher. * April 20-23: Calvins gives a 5 minute oral report on the Brain. Since he brings noodles to school, this could be the 'Noodle Incident.' * April 27-30: Calvin and Hobbes pretend to be zombies. May * May 11-21: Hobbes cuts Calvin's hair. Introduces Tracer Bullet. June * June 15-20: Calvin and Hobbes find a magic carpet. July * July 13-18: Calvin, Hobbes & Susie have a water balloon/gun fight. * July 28-31: Calvin gets sick and goes to a doctor. August * August 10-20: Calvin's family goes camping. * August 31-September 11: Calvin invents a Time Machine and he and Hobbes go back to the Jurassic. September * September 14-30: Calvin secedes from the family and plans to move to the Yukon. Hobbes gets lost in the woods. October * October 5-10: Rosayln babysits. * October 19-24: Moe bullies Calvin and he takes Hobbes to school to attack Moe. November * November 30-December 5: Calvin tries to be the next Houdini. 1988 January * January 11-22: Calvin's Uncle Max comes to visit. On the last strip, Calvin tries to leave with Uncle Max, but Mom and Dad catch him. * January 25-February 4: Calvin and Susie have to write a report on Mercury, but Calvin messes around drawing Martians. February * February 8-20: Calvin invents his Transmogrifier Gun and asks Hobbes to turn him into a pterodactyl. After accidentally turning Calvin into a chicken, Hobbes turns him into a tiny pterodactyl. Angry, Calvin turns Hobbes into a duck, which starts a fight, eventually ending with Calvin as an owl and Hobbes as a purple monster. Calvin turns Hobbes back into a tiger, but the Transmogrifier Gun burns out before Hobbes can do likewise. Calvin gets all sad until he realizes that owls don't go to school! However, the next day the transmogrification wears off. * February 22-March 2: Rosalyn babysits. Calvin and Hobbes wreak havoc as usual; first trying to mail themselves to Australia, then lying to Rosalyn saying that "Hobbes and Calvin are on a strict Big Mac diet", and then leading Rosalyn into a trap. In the end, Mom and Dad have to pay a five dollar advance on the next time. March * March 9-24: Calvin wants to be a tiger, so Hobbes helps him dress up like one. It turns out to be nothing like Calvin expected it to be. He thought that "They'd be romping around the woods like they always do, but it turns out tigers don't share their territories with other tigers!" At the end, they find out that tigers are an endangered species. April * April 11-15: Calvin shows his dad the latter's "poll numbers" saying that "Although his recognition factor is high, the scandals of his administration continue to haunt him," the scandals being "Bedtimegate" and "Homeworkgate". * April 19-24: Calvin and Hobbes build a model plane, but they don't do very well. According to Calvin, "Nothing fit right, the instructions were incomprehensible, the decals ripped, the paint slopped, and the glue got everywhere." May * May 2-12: Calvin and Hobbes go on an archaeological expedition and find bones for a dinosaur, which Mom says is made out of garbage. * May 16-26: Calvin accidentally breaks Dad's binoculars and is afraid to tell him so. When Calvin does tell Dad, he gets very angry, but then forgives Calvin. In the end, Calvin gets a pair of binoculars because "As long as he was going to break binoculars, he ought to at least break his own." getting all worked up about the binoculars.]] * May 30-June 2: A bee lands on Calvin's back, but Hobbes won't shoo it away. Calvin is stuck there until Hobbes tells him that the bee isn't there anymore. But when Calvin moves, he get stung. Hobbes explains "I meant 'No, there is a bee.' Today is Opposite Day!" Calvin gets angry and chases Hobbes up a tree holding a baseball bat. June * June 13-29: Mom and Dad take Calvin and Hobbes camping again! At least this time is doesn't rain, this time Calvin drops a bag into the lake and after Dad fishes some of the contents out, he stacks everything on top of his glasses! For the rest of the trip, Dad is very grouchy. After about 2 weeks they finally come back home! July * July 4-15: Calvin floats away on a balloon. Higher and higher he floats, until the balloon pops! As he falls, Calvin looks for some gum to blow a huge bubble. He doesn't find any, but he finds his Transmogrifier Gun! But as he pulls the trigger, Calvin says, "I'm Safe!" The Transmogrifier takes him literally. After that, he turns himself into a light particle and zips home to dinner, but "If he'd known they were having [that], he wouldn't have hurried." * July 18-28: Calvin and Hobbes go to the zoo. Calvin gets lost because he followed someone who looks just like Mom (From the knees down, that is), and he left Hobbes behind. Calvin then goes to the tiger pit to ask the tigers if they had seen Hobbes. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad see Hobbes sitting on a bench, but no Calvin. Dad goes too look for Calvin and finds him, still at the tiger pit. When Mom sees Calvin, she tells him that he should ask a person for help next time, and he says that had never occurred to him. Dad says there won't be a next time "because they're just going to tie Calvin to a stake in the yard every weekend." August * August 8-17: The faucet keeps dripping, so Calvin is going to fix it. But when he takes off the handle, water sprays everywhere! Eventually Dad finds them and turns off the water. Calvin unsuccessfully tries to place the blame on Hobbes, but Dad kicks them both outside. September * September 12-October 1: Calvin thinks it's an outrage that grown-ups have polluted the Earth, so Hobbes and he head off to Mars. But on Mars they find an alien, who turns out to be just as scared of them as they are of him, so they go home. October * October 10-19: Calvin gets sick at 2:00 AM. Mom takes his temperature, but is stopped before she can get a reading because Calvin has to throw up. The next morning, Mom tells Calvin that he'll have to go to the doctor. According to the doctor, "Calvin just caught the bug going around." Calvin then gets to stay home from school for two whole days! December * December 14-17: Dad tries to take Calvin's picture, but he keeps making silly faces.